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Tirion Fordring
Tirion Fordring is a level 61 elite quest giver located by a cottage near the southwestern end of the Terrorweb Tunnel in the contested territory of Eastern Plaguelands. He was once a paladin of the Silver Hand, and vowed to reestablish the order in Lordaeron. Even though he was exiled, he remains committed to the people of the Alliance, though not necessarily their leadership. He is good friends with the orc veteran Eitrigg. According to information released at BlizzCon pertaining to the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, Tirion is being moved to (or will temporarily appear at) the port of Valgarde in Northrend's Howling Fjord, boosted to level 73, and is identified as "Highlord Tirion Fordring". This implies that he has officially succeeded Uther the Lightbringer as leader of the Silver Hand. Given his readiness to accept help from both the Horde and Alliance in his quest line, his assertions that race does not dictate honor, and what he learned from his encounter with Eitrigg, it is like that the Silver Hand will be a Neutral faction, much like the current Argent Dawn. He starts the following quests: * * * * ** *** **** ***** See List of Eastern Plaguelands NPCs. Background Tirion was one of the first five knights of the Silver Hand selected by Archbishop Alonsus Faol before the start of the Second War. He later became Lord of Mardenholde Keep in Hearthglen before being stripped of his title and exiled for defending an orc, Eitrigg. Following the recent death of his son Taelan Fordring in a player-quest, Tirion has committed himself to refounding the order of the Silver Hand. Eitrigg incident As the governor of the Alliance principality of Hearthglen, Tirion lived a comfortable life, well-respected by subjects and loved by his wife Karanda and son Taelan. Both a great warrior and a just ruler, Tirion was renowned throughout the Kingdom of Lordaeron. In spite of his acclaimed military prowess, Tirion's experience as a Paladin during the orcish invasions have taught him to value peace. After the wars were over, every night Tirion prayed that no conflict would ever bring harm to his subjects again. One day, he encountered an old orc hermit living in an abandoned tower. The two immediately battled, and they traded blows until a piece of the ruined tower collapsed on Tirion, knocking him senseless. He awoke in his bed days later, and discovered that he had been found, badly beaten, tied to his saddle, and had been healed by his ambitious second, Barthilas. Realizing that the orc had saved him, Tirion set out and retraced his steps back to the tower. The orc, Eitrigg, told Tirion that before the coming to Azeroth, the orcs had been a noble society rooted in shamanism. After the war, he had left the corrupt Horde. Tirion, seeing great honour in Eitrigg, promised to keep his existence a secret, returning to his people and informing them that the orc had been dealt with and was not a threat. Barthilas was not so confident, and called Saidan Dathrohan to come and settle the matter himself. Dathrohan picked up the trail and led a group of hunters into the woods, where they found Eitrigg. During the orc's capture, Tirion fought against Dathrohan's men, prompting Barthilas to gleefully note that his actions were treasonous. Tirion was brought to Stratholme to stand trial. Despite Karandra's pleas to forget his honour and tell the jury what they wanted to hear, Tirion, hoping to be an example to his son, told the court exactly what had happened. Ultimately, the jury of Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, Arch-Mage Antonidas, Archbishop Alonsus Faol and Prince Arthas Menethil decided that since Tirion had assaulted Alliance soldiers, he could no longer be a member of the Silver Hand, and was doomed to exile. Uther the Lightbringer performed a ceremony to strip Tirion of his powers and sent him home to gather some supplies. Desperate to prevent Eitrigg from being executed for war crimes, Tirion rode back to Stratholme, where he attacked Eitrigg's guards. Surprised, they still managed to subdue him, until a group of orcs stormed into the city. Tirion used the distraction to free Eitrigg and flee the city. When they were in the wilds, Tirion saw that Eitrigg was near death, and did the only thing he could do, call upon the powers of the Light to heal the orc who had saved him. To his surprise, he still had the powers blessed by the Light, and Eitrigg was saved. They abruptly found themselves surrounded by orcs, and a new Warchief, Thrall approached Eitrigg and invited him back into the Horde, which had since reverted back to its shamanistic roots once more. Eitrigg was thrilled to accept. Tirion remained in Lordaeron, to watch his son Taelan be inducted into the Silver Hand. His son later became the lord of Mardenholde. Tirion's wife told his son that Tirion had died, and even took him to a false grave at the Undercroft, where Taelan buried the toy warhammer his father had given him in memory of his father. Exile and return Tirion lived out his exile, even during the Third War, in a small farmstead, in the northwest of what became the Eastern Plaguelands, on the shores of the Thondroril River with his trusty horse, Mirador. He could also often be found roaming on the road to Hearthglen. It was during this time that Uther was slain, leaving Tirion and the presumed-dead Turalyon as the last two of the first five paladins and founding members of the Silver Hand. He was dismayed to find later that his son, Taelan, joined the Scarlet Crusade, and even became the highlord of that order. Nonetheless, he kept watching his son from afar, and even enlisted some adventurers to help him as he and a few Crusaders became trapped in the small village of Cinderhome, surrounded by Scourge forces who were interrupting the Crusade's attempt to re-settle the area. Later, Tirion turned to adventurers yet again to have them collect mementos of his son's past, which finally enabled him to convince his son to leave the Crusade, only to see him killed in the attempt. Spurred by his son's death, Tirion resolved to reform the original Silver Hand as a force of good in the world. Wrath of the Lich King During a panel at BlizzCon 2007, Chris Metzen and Alex Afrasiabi talked about a questline in Northrend focusing on Tirion Fordring. They mentioned plans to include the Ashbringer in the questline, http://www.wowinsider.com/2007/08/04/blizzcon-day-2-wow-lore-and-quests-panel-liveblog/ though at such an early stage of production the Ashbringer's inclusion may not be final. During the hands-on demo of Wrath of the Lich King at BlizzCon, doing a small quest chain in the Utgarde Catacombs - one of the wings of Utgarde Keep - leads to the retrieval of a "sacred artifact" which is brought back to members of the Silver Hand in Valgarde, including a cloaked-and-hooded cleric. The cleric reveals himself to be Tirion, now known as Highlord Tirion Fordring of the Order of the Silver Hand - attired in Lightbringer Armor, and wielding the Ashbringer (the artifact retrieved from the Utgarde Catacombs). He shouts a challenge to Arthas, saying that the Silver Hand was coming for him and that his kingdom would crumble beneath the weight of justice. Personality As a Paladin, Tirion Fordring was a man of honour - and his commitment to upholding his honour no matter the cost often brought him into conflict with his family and friends. His wife Karandra Fordring often lamented the sacrifices she had to make in order to adapt to her husband's tendency to place his personal honour above everything else - his family included. So, for instance, when Fordring attempted to explain to his wife and to his long-time friend Arden that his commitment to saving the life of Eitrigg was a matter of honour, he encountered, for the most part, a total lack of understanding, with both Arden and Karandra arguing that he also has a responsibility to his family and his subjects - a responsibility he should not neglect in the name of honour. Tirion's honour, therefore, was the ultimate cause of his downfall - during his trial, he was offered an opportunity to be restored to good standing within the Alliance if only he would renounce the vow he gave to Eitrigg. Tirion refused, saying that his honour precluded him from doing so. In the end, Tirion Fordring paid heavily for the honour he held in high such esteem. Not only was he stripped of his office and estates, but his family - Karandra Fordring and Taelan - refused to accompany him into exile, stating that she would not let him ruin their lives as he had ruined his own. Thus, after his rescue of Eitrigg from the gallows in Stratholme, honour was very much the only thing Tirion still had. Gallery Image:Tirion_Fordring.jpg|Tirion in Eastern Plaguelands. Image:Fordring_Ashbringer.jpg|Tirion Fordring in Valgarde, wielding the Ashbringer Image:TirionHillsbrad.jpg|Tirion in Old Hillsbrad Image:TirionEitrigg.JPG|Tirion Fordring and Eitrigg on the cover of the book Of Blood and Honor. Memorable quotes * "You are assuming that there are more orcs out there, Barthilas. I was there, and I saw none. I will not sound the call to arms before we've confirmed the facts. This is not the time to start jumping at shadows. We must remain calm and vigilant." * Taelan: "Are you going to fight the green men, Poppa?" :Tirion: "I don't know yet, son. I just don't know." * "I will remain committed to the Alliance until my dying day. Of that, have no doubt. But I cannot disavow the oath I took. To do so would be to betray everything I am and everything we, as honorable men, hold dear." * "May your soul burn in anguish, Isillien! Light give me strength to battle this fiend. Face me, coward. Face the faith and strength that you once embodied." * "Too long have I sat idle, gripped in this haze... this malaise, lamenting what could have been... what should have been. Your death will not have been in vain, Taelan. A new Order is born on this day.. an Order which will dedicate itself to extinguishing the evil that plagues this world. An evil that cannot hide behind politics and pleasantries. This I promise... This I vow..." * "Say hello to my little friend." - When attacking a mob. Tirion's Story in His Own Words After completing his first three quests, this conversation opens with Tirion, as part of the next quest in his chain: :I must apologize for not being entirely truthful with you in regards to my identity. I had to be certain you could be trusted - few people would have selflessly lent assistance to an old and forgotten hermit. :You have proven yourself as one of those people: A person of integrity and honor. Thank you, Tirion. What of your identity? :My son, Taelan, was only a child when I was found guilty of treason and banished by the Alliance to live a life in exile. I chose to remain here so that I could watch over him; to somehow insure that he would grow up an honorable man. :As I had hoped, he took my place as lord of Mardenholde; but in a cruel twist of fate, joined the ranks of the Scarlet Crusade. He is now their Highlord, . That is terrible. :Indeed. The Scarlet Crusade are an aberration of the Order of the Silver Hand. :You must believe me, ; Taelan is a good man. He needs to remember...remember what it is to be noble and honorable. I know that in his heart, he knows what he does is wrong. Will you help him? Will you help him remember? I will, Tirion. Trivia During the Old Hillsbrad event in the Caverns of Time, Tirion can be seen wearing the same plate chest he wears nowadays and discussing Ashbringer with several of his fellow members of the Silver Hand. He was the first to refer to the future weapon by it's legendary name. Sadly, most of the friends assembled here would later turn to bitter enemies, as they embraced the zeal of the Crusade they would later create. See also *Of Blood and Honor *Tides of Darkness External links Category:Humans Category:Paladins Category:Lore Characters Category:Major characters Category:Quest Givers Category:Eastern Plaguelands NPCs Category:Old Hillsbrad Foothills NPCs Category:Wrath of the Lich King